She glared at the offending appendage and slapped it out of her way. Jake’s answering chuckle only made her want to slap him across the face next, but she refrained. Barely.
Shivering at the sudden drop in temperature, she stood on shaky legs and marched down the trail without a backward glance. She’d have to come back another time and spend some time with Thao. The bench’s appearance was puzzling.
Maybe Minh knows who donated it.
“You’re not going to wait for me?” Jake’s shout could barely be heard over the wind and the pounding in her ears.
“Nope!” she shouted over her shoulder and flipped him off.
Jake was a big boy. He could handle himself.
It didn’t take long for Jake to catch up with her. She heard his footsteps trailing behind her. He kept his distance, which she was thankful for. Spending time with him made her feel irrational. Out of control.
Two things she hated feeling, because they usually sparked unhealthy habits.
The sun was quickly disappearing from the sky as the storm clouds advanced over the lake. Not for the first time, Gia wished she’d at least brought a raincoat. There was no way she’d make it back to the car without getting soaked.
As if answering her thoughts, a loud boom reverberated overhead, followed by a streak of lightning. Within seconds, the clouds burst open, unleashing a torrent of rain pounding the ground.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Gia paused in her angry march and screamed at the sky as the ice-cold rain pelted her. The torrential downpour drowned her voice out. Growling at her bad luck, she moved to continue walking down the path when the flood stopped abruptly.
Curious, she looked up to see a black umbrella held high above her head. Trailing her gaze up the muscled forearm attached to the umbrella, she found herself staring up into twinkling blue eyes.
“Forget your umbrella at home?” His impish tone made her teeth ache with the urge to snap at him, but unfortunately, it seemed she was at his mercy for the time being. She could have been stubborn and continued her trek in the rain, but the idea didn’t appeal to her. Besides, she didn’t want to get sick on top of all the other things going on in her life right now.
Rolling her eyes, she bit her tongue so she couldn’t bite hishead off. Sniffing in indignation, she muttered a thanks before they walked side by side the rest of the way. The mostly downhill walk should have been faster, but it felt like hours as they walked with only a foot of space between them.
She blamed the wetness still clinging to her skin and the chill in the air for the goosebumps erupting over her body. It was definitely not her body’s reaction to his proximity.
His intoxicating scent mixed with the rain was absolutely not making her core clench with need. It was most definitely indigestion. Or period cramps.
Fists clenched, she folded her arms across her chest to hide her peaked nipples betraying her. The damp material made her top cling to her skin obscenely. She really should have brought a jacket. Or an umbrella.
“This means nothing, you know.” She gave him a side-eye before keeping her gaze determinedly ahead of her.
“Of course not.” His cool response grated on her nerves.
Nothing ever seemed to ruffle his feathers.
While her body was a riot of opposing emotions, he was completely unaffected.
Come to think of it, the only time she’d seen him not composed was when he’d spotted her bruises.
What else would it take to shake Jake’s control?
She bet he was a control freak.
Does that obsessive need for control also happen in the bedroom?
Mentally, she slapped herself on the forehead.
Stop it, Gia.
Shoving her wayward thoughts over the proverbial cliff, she concentrated on her breathing. Their footsteps were in sync, though she wasn’t sure when it had happened. The fast pace didn’t seem to make him break a sweat, while she was panting with exertion.
Her legs were going to hurt later. She needed a soak in the bath to loosen up her muscles tonight.
Maybe I could stop at the store and get some bath bombs.
